The present invention relates to musical instruments and, more particularly, to a portable electronic drum set which may be carried and worn by a performer while it is played.
Two trends in the concert performance of modern music include substituting electric or electronic instruments for traditional acoustic instruments, such as, for example, electric guitars, electronic keyboards, and electronic drums and increasing the mobility of musicians while performing with their instruments. Guitarists, for example, find such movement relatively simple since the guitar is easily portable.
Conventional drums are bulky. Although portable drums are used in, for example, marching bands, drums in marching bands are principally for cadence and lack the range of expression desired in a stage performance. Thus, a fully mobile drum set for a stage performance has not been achieved, even though drums are among the most common of all musical instruments, and are found in most modern bands.
Electronic drums are known, and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,655,071. Other currently available electronic drums are sold under various trademarks, including, for example, SDS7, by Simmons Electronics Ltd. A full set of drums contains many different drums and accompanying percussion instruments, including, for example, snare drums, kettle drums, cymbals, and a bass drum. Although many electronic drums are portable in the sense that they may be carried from place to place, they usually need a supporting surface which prevents the player thereof from moving about a stage while performing.
A musical shoe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,241, which produces musical tones when keys on the underside thereof are depressed. This patent provides no suggestion of a percussion instrument or the integration of the musical shoe into a portable electronic drum set.